He came to Winnipeg in the early 1870s to represent the interests of eastern Canadian businesses. In 1880 he started a clothing manufacturing business in partnership with A. B. Bethune and J. D. Carscaden, under the name of Carscaden and Peck. After Carscaden’s retirement, the firm carried on as John W. Peck and Company. He lived at Winnipeg for many years, eventually taking up permanent residence at Montreal.